Cimitiere House – Launceston Tasmania
Tasmania’s first commercial project to be registered with the Green Building Council of Australia was subjected to a comprehensive life safety analysis to demonstrate compliance with performance based fire codes.
June 2007
Cimitiere House.
113-115 Cimitiere St. Launceston, Tasmania Cimitiere House.
Tasmania's first commercial project to be certified as a 5 green star energy rated building.
The commercial office building known as ‘Cimitiere House’ is located in the CBD of Launceston and represents an important environmentally sustainable design for Tasmania.
The design development incorporated many innovative systems that will ensure that the building will continue to operate as a sustainable building well into the future. It is predicted that tenants can save up to 70% on power costs through the adopted smart design and construction of the building.
The building Incorporates a central atrium, which ensures high levels of natural light and ventilation are afforded in all locations in the building.
Scientific Fire Services Pty Limited conducted a comprehensive fire safety engineering assessment of the proposed design in order permit the design team to develop a more rational and logical basis of achieving specific design goals.
The design was supported by sophisticated engineering analysis which resulted in significant savings through the relaxation of the prescriptive requirements while still preserving the high levels of life safety and aiding the client in meeting the requirements to be certified with a 5 green star accreditation by the Green Building Council of Australia.
The basis of the fire safety engineering approach included:
- Significant rationalisation of the proposed building smoke hazard management systems was developed in order to maintain the requirements of natural light and ventilation through the atrium.
- Reduction in bounding wall construction requirements associated with the atrium and the use of non-protected structural timber elements that do not meet the FRL requirements of the BCA.
- Flexible occupant egress provisions adopted throughout the building.
- Extended travel distances.
- Fire stairs that do not discharge to open space.
- Occupant evacuation paths required to pass within 6m of an opening.
- Fire fighter operational issues and deficiencies in the proposed fire hose reel system, specific to there location within the atrium.
The assessment involved extensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling in order to ensure the smoke hazard management system performance was compatible with the life safety goals established by the design team.
Detailed computer occupant movement simulations were conducted (utilising Simulex3-0) for the entire office building to determine if effectiveness of the occupant egress design and to ensure acceptable levels of occupant life safety was achieved.
In additional specific radiant heat flux calculations, comprehensive structural analyses and qualitative hose reel assessments were undertaken utilising simulated fire conditions in order to predict the performance of the non-protected structural elements, the bounding wall construction of the atrium and the acceptability of the fire hose reel locations.